The Temptation of Christ (c. 1525–1530),
Simon Bening (c. 1483–1561).
After the introduction of the printing press to Europe in the mid-15th century, the production of manuscripts was changed, not ended. While printing enabled the rapid production of books of all kinds, discerning patrons continued to commission handwritten books, often requesting exquisitely illuminated prayer books for personal devotion or liturgical prayer. In the 1520s, the German Cardinal Albrecht von Brandenburg (1490–1545) commissioned an illuminated copy of a popular book of meditations on the life of Christ.
Originally published in Latin in 1520 and printed in German translation the following year, Devout Meditations on the Life, Favors, and Passion of the Savior Jesus Christ provided woodcuts depicting various moments in salvation history linked with prayers encouraging the reader to meditate upon these mysteries. Albrecht von Brandenburg was a patron of the arts—portraits of the cardinal by Lucas Cranach the Elder and Albrecht Dürer are masterpieces in themselves—so it is unsurprising that the commission for his copy of the Devout Meditations went to the Flemish illuminator Simon Bening, one of the finest illuminators of the 16th century. While early printed books generally presented texts previously transmitted by hand, Cardinal Albrecht’s prayer book was the opposite: The scribes copied the text from a printed copy of the 1521 German translation, while the illuminator used the woodcuts as the point of departure for his cycle of miniatures. Far from being mechanical reproduction of the woodcuts, Bening’s miniatures are like living trees, teeming with insight into the mysteries of Christ.
The miniature of the Temptation of Christ accompanies a meditation titled “On the fasts and temptation of the invincible Jesus.” The fourth chapter of the Gospel of Luke, read on the First Sunday of Lent in Year C, sets the scene: Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over he was hungry.
Following the model of the earlier woodcut, Bening depicts the three temptations of Jesus in a single frame. In the foreground, the devil appears holding a stone and pointing to another stone at his feet. The devil’s mouth is open, and we can almost hear his snarl: If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread. In the original woodcut, the devil appears as a horned, winged beast, his tail slithering between his stocky legs. In Bening’s miniature, the devil’s grotesque features, sharpened fingernails, and clawed chicken feet reflect his demonic nature, but his friar’s habit topped with a cardinal’s scarlet cloak conveys a more subtle message. In the Gospel, the devil dares to counsel Christ, while his robes subtly evoke a cardinal’s role in advising the Vicar of Christ. This is not mere artistic impertinence; Bening’s miniature invites the cardinal patron to identify with the tempted Christ but also to recognize the ways in which he might at times resemble the tempter. Even Saint Peter was rebuked when he attempted to dissuade Jesus from undergoing his Passion: Get behind me, satan! (Mt 16:23).
Following the model of the earlier woodcut, Bening depicts two further temptation scenes in the background of the miniature, although his mastery of proportion and perspective adds subtlety to the scene. On a jutting cliff at the top of the frame, the devil gestures downwards towards a spired city, showing all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant: All this will be yours, if you worship me. The tiny figure of Christ, discernable by his blue cloak and halo, clasps his hands together in prayer, enacting his scriptural retort to the devil’s wiles: You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve. In the far distance, Jesus stands on the parapet of the temple. In the woodcut model, the devil leans off the ledge at Jesus’ side, gesticulating his challenge to throw yourself down from here. In Bening’s version, the devil throws himself from the temple, soaring upwards with outstretched arms, offering a vivid interpretation of Luke’s laconic conclusion: When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.
By showing the three temptation scenes together, linking the first appearance of the devil with his final flight, the artist invites us to reflect on our own temptations, but also to have confidence that these too will pass. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world (Jn 16:33). This comforting message is reinforced by the serenity of Christ’s face and the simplicity of his gestures; there is a fine, grand quietness to his voice and ways. The tiny animals in the background add to the bucolic scene. While Christ resists the temptation to stave his hunger with transubstantiated rocks, a deer peacefully grazes on the heights under the watchful eye of a serene stag. In the valley below, a deer that longs for running streams quenches her thirst under the guardianship of a vigilant buck. A rabbit relaxes in a grove, blissfully unaware of an ominous creature whiffling through the wood. The right hand of Christ not only rejects the devil’s impertinence, but blesses the created world. The wilderness and the parched land will exult; the desert will rejoice and bloom (Is 35:1).
Now best known for having invited the Dominican preacher Johann Tetzel to preach the indulgence for the rebuilding of Saint Peter’s Basilica—the immediate occasion for Martin Luther’s Ninety-five Theses—Albrecht von Brandenburg’s prayer book gives us a glimpse into the visual world of a Catholic cardinal living in troubled times. While not all of the cardinal’s prudential decisions call forth admiration today, his prayer book invites us to reflect anew on the mysteries of the life of Christ. Whatever temptations and trials we may be facing, the serene face of Christ fills us with hope.
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack. In green pastures he makes me lie down; to still waters he leads me; he restores my soul. He guides me along right paths for the sake of his name. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me (Ps 23:1-4).
Father Innocent Smith, O.P.
Dominican friar of the Province of Saint Joseph and professor at
the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC. He is the author of
Bible Missals and the Medieval Dominican Liturgy.
The Temptation of Christ (c. 1525–1530), Simon Bening (c. 1483–1561), Getty Museum, Los Angeles © Digital image courtesy of Getty’s Open Content Program.
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